List of car-free places

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of noteworthy car-free areas. To be included, areas should meet at least one of the following criteria:

• They are unusual for their country or region
• They make up a sizeable fraction of a city, town, or island

For example, Freiburg's carfree district is included because it is of significant size even for Germany; Leipzig's is not since it is merely average and is a small part of the city. However, Portland, Oregon's are included since carfree areas of any size are unusual in North America.

Color-coding is used as follows:

City name	Most or all of the city is essentially carfree. Kids can play in most streets.
City name	Large area that is nearly carfree; pedestrians may still occasionally have to avoid cars.
City name	Worthy of inclusion, but extent is limited or vehicles sometimes intrude appreciably.

Contents 1 Europe 1.1 Austria 1.2 Belgium 1.3 Denmark 1.4 Finland 1.5 France 1.6 Germany 1.7 German islands and resorts 1.8 Greece 1.9 Italy 1.10 The Netherlands 1.11 Portugal 1.12 Spain 1.13 Sweden 1.14 Switzerland 1.15 UK and Channel Islands 1.16 Other Europe 2 North America 2.1 Canada 2.2 Mexico 2.3 Costa Rica 2.4 Puerto Rico 2.5 USA 3 South America 3.1 Argentina 3.2 Brazil 3.3 Chile 3.4 Colombia 4 Africa 5 Middle East 6 Asia 7 Australia

[edit] Europe

[edit] Austria

City	Area	Population	Character
Vienna	Autofreie Mustersiedlung Floridsdorf housing project	250 units	New carfree residential project, organized by Green party
Vienna	"Sizable" carfree core near St. Stephens Cathedral		Old center
Feldkirch	Historic center
Salzburg	A number of streets in the medieval center are carfree		Lovely old town with significant carfree shopping areas

[edit] Belgium

City	Area	Population	Character
Louvain-la-Neuve	Most or all of the city		University town; surface is carfree; streets and parking are below pedestrian streets
Brugge (Bruges)			Medieval town with large carfree center
Ghent	350,000 m² Entire city heart		Largest carfree area in Belgium; Public transport, taxis and permit holders may enter but not exceed 5 km/h

[edit] Denmark

City	Area	Population	Character
Strøget, Copenhagen	Large downtown carfree shopping area		Central Copenhagen is one of the largest and oldest examples of auto-free zones, heavily used, much tourist traffic. The city's bicycle paths are extensive and well-used. photos
Christiania community, Copenhagen	All of an old military reservation	850	Several streets with recycled and ad-hoc buildings; carfree

[edit] Finland

City	Area	Population	Character
Suomenlinna	0.8 km² island	850	Carfree fortress in Helsinki, service traffic allowe

[edit] France

City	Area	Population	Character
Mont St. Michel	4 km² island	about 60	carfree fortress/abbey
Île de Porquerolles, near Toulon	Entire island is car-lite and many areas carfree	5000 (summers)	Resort
Île de Sein (Enez Sun)	Entire island is carfree
Île de Bréhat, Bretagne	Entire island is carfree	421	Easy for walking/biking
Lyon	Avenue de la Republique, Rue Victor Hugo, and side streets	Metro area is about 1.7 million; carfree area unknown	17th-18th C mixed-use 6-story area
Lyon	Part of Vieux Lyon		Medieval quarter
Port Grimaud			Resort
Rue Mouffetard, Paris	0.5 km
The pedestrian mall next to St. Germain, Paris	is about 1.5 km long and runs from place Odeon to rue Monge
Pompidou Center, Paris			Modern large-scale development
Les Halles, Paris			Redeveloped market area
Montorgueil area, Paris
Dijon	Small carfree center		Old buildings on narrow streets
Strasbourg	Part of the old town		Medieval core
Colmar	Town Center		Large historic pedestrian area in center of town
Chambery	Significant carfree area		Medieval quarter
Montpellier	Many carfree streets	11,000 in the medieval quarter	Center of medieval university town
La Rochelle	Carfree area and anti-car policies	80,000 (entire city)
Tours	Several blocks of the medieval old town are restricted to pedestrians only		Old medieval center
Bordeaux	4 km of streets		Unknown; morning truck deliveries permitted; limited car access for residents
Sarlat	Old part of city		Reportedly carfree and pedrestrian friendly except for central main street
Yvoire	Old part of city		Medieval quarter

[edit] Germany

City	Area	Population	Character
Freiburg im Breisgau	Large carfree center	City 200,000; Carfree areas perhaps 10,000	Medieval university town; a very small amount of car traffic is permitted on some streets; trams provide access
Freiburg im Breisgau	Vauban district	5,000	New carfree district converted from a military base; car parking at edge, trams provide access
Freiburg im Breisgau	Rieselfeld district	10,000	Car parking distributed, trams provide access
Erlangen	Former US-Army area/Hartmannstrasse	some 2.000	Car parking concentrated in some multi storey car parks
Erlangen	Bonhoefferweg-Siedlung	some 200	Car parking outside the residential area
Nürnberg	9 km of carfree streets
Munich	7 km of carfree streets		id=108 information
Stuttgart	6.9 km of carfree streets
Lindau	Historic center
Rothenburg ob der Tauber		13,000
Wittenberg (Gartenstadt Piesteritz)		1,200	Development ca. 1915; newly carfree (1994--1999)
Nürnberg - Langwasser		3,180	New development (1978-1987)
Hamburg (Stadthaus Schlump)	Small	45 dwelling units	Carfree mixed-use conversion of an old hospital
Hamburg (Saarlandstraße)		210 dwellings	New development (2000)
Bremen (Grünenstraße)	800 m²	23 dwellings	New development
Tübingen (French Quarter)			Some parts of redevelopment carfree
Tübingen (converted military base)		6000 residents, 2000 jobs
Munich - Kolumbusplatz(Haidhausen)		40 dwellings	New development (near downtown)
Munich (Messestadt Riem)		41 dwellings	Carfree part of a larger new development
Münster (Geist) Gartensiedlung Weissenburg		184 dwellings	New development (2001)
Hahnenklee-Bockswiese (Harz)	Most of town	2,500	Town in the Harz mountain area

[edit] German islands and resorts

(Residents are allowed cars on some islands)

City	Area	Population	Character
Helgoland	Entire island	1650	North Sea Island
Baltrum	Entire island	510	North Sea Island
Spiekeroog	Entire island	730	North Sea Island
Wangerooge	Entire island	1180	North Sea Island
Juist	Entire island	1790	North Sea Island
Hiddensee	Entire island	1200	Baltic Sea Island
Rerik (Wustrow peninsula)		69 houses	Largely undeveloped area on a Baltic Sea Peninsula; will probably become less carfree as it develops
Niederrathen	Entire village	500	Village in Saxony
Moritzdorf (Sellin)	Entire village		Village on the island of Rügen
Lechbruck am See	Entire village		Village in Bavaria
Hayingen	Entire village	105 houses	Village in Swabia
Hallig Hooge, Hallig Gröde and Hallig Nordstrandischmoor	North sea islands	total of 100 Inhabitants

[edit] Greece

City	Area	Population	Character
Hydra Island	Entire island (50 km²)	3,000	No motorized vehicles on the entire island
Lindos/Rhodes	Entire Town		Motorized traffic impossible due to narrow streets
Mount Athos	Entire Peninsula	1,400	Motorized traffic of non residents is prohibited. Local traffic is extremely limited with only some vehicles used by the monastic community for essential communication, and transportation needs
Spetses Island	Town only	4,000 (entire island)	Carfree, possibly with some violations
Downtown Athens	Historic centre	ca. 750,000 (whole municipality)	While designated carfree, the ban is apparently widely ignored
The city of Rhodes	Medieval centre	ca. 50,000 (entire city)	Motor traffic within the medieval city and mainly near the Knights Hospitaller Grand Master's palace is limited. Limitations are most often ignored, especially by youngsters on scooters.

[edit] Italy

City	Area	Population	Character
Venice	Entire city except near the train station	Estimated at 70,000	Medieval city, today highly focused on tourism; transport on foot or by water
Siena	Entire city	Perhaps 30,000	Not entirely carfree but most streets have very little traffic
Cinque Terre (5 towns on the Gulf of Genoa)	Most or all of each town	Probably a few thousand each	Some towns are carfree, others highly car-moderated
Florence	Several streets near Piazza San Lorenzo		Market area of the old city
Rome	Several streets west of the Vatican
Parma	Small area in the city center, probably 6 to 10 streets	Unknown, probably a few thousand	Probably some delivery trucks permitted during limited hours
Naples	Small carfree area at center		Shopping area in downtown
Milan	Small area near cathedral		Wide streets completely filled with pedestrians after work
Ferrara	The medieval center has carfree streets and is over all "car-lite"		Heavy bike use
Perugia	While the town suffers heavily from cars and traffic, some areas are so narrow that they are carfree		Medieval hill town
Assisi	Much of the town is highly car-moderated		Visitors must park at the foot of the hill; some residents' cars are allowed in town
Spoleto	Some parts of the upper old city are carfree		Pre-medieval hill town

[edit] The Netherlands

City	Area	Population	Character
Giethoorn	Entire town	about 2500	Transport by canal boat
Amsterdam GWL project	600 unit carfree residential area	About 1500	Modern architecture on the site of a disused waterworks; some car parking at the edge
Kalverstraat/Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam	Long main shopping street with many narrow side streets	Unknown; primarily commercial	Shopping district; delivery vehicles allowed in AM
Delft	Most of the old center		Medieval center
Islands of Vlieland and Schiermonnikoog	Entire islands	About 1000 residents on each plus lots of tourists in season	Only residents are allowed to bring cars onto the islands
Groningen	Most of the old city center	Estimated at 30,000 in the carfree area (the city is about 10 times larger)	Medieval center is nearly carfree; mixed use area with university

[edit] Portugal

City	Area	Population	Character
Óbidos	Entire area of walled town	Probably a few thousand	Medieval walled hill town (now tourist area); only residents permitted to drive into the town, although cars are a nuisance
Baixa, Lisbon	One long shopping street, with a few side streets		18th C 5-story mixed use
Santarém	Most of the streets in the oldest part of town		3 story, old, mixed use area
Faro	Some of the downtown area	50,000 (whole city)	6 to 8 old streets that form a small network in the center of town
Tavira	Some of the old downtown	25,000 (whole city)	Narrow, winding streets in the old part of town.
Évora	Most of the old walled city	8500 (in the walled city)	Some cars
Coimbra	Many small streets		Old medieval quarter
Viseu	A number of narrow streets in the town center		Largely intact medieval city; on Fridays, the entire old center is carfree

[edit] Spain

City	Area	Population	Character
Seville	Santa Cruz district has many narrow, carfree streets		Medieval/Renaissance quarter
Madrid Puerta del Sol	6 blocks square (limited car access)		Busy central area
Segovia	Large parts of the old, walled city		Medieval area
Santiago de Compostela	Large central pedestrian zone
Ayamonte (in S.W. corner)	Downtown commercial district		Old medieval quarter with very narrow streets; river town on the flanks of a hill
Barri Gòtic, Barcelona	A number of carfree streets, others car-light	Tens of thousands	Medieval center
Algeciras	Large network of carless shopping streets		Historic centre
Girona	Rambla (promenade and shopping street) and network of narrow residential streets		Historic centre
Granada	Albaicin neighborhood (limited car access on a few streets)		Historic Moorish quarter
Laguardia (Biasteri) photos
Valladolid	Central square and surrounding streets.		Historic centre, although most buildings are now modern.

[edit] Sweden

City	Area	Population	Character
Gamla stan, Stockholm (Old Town)	Most of the old heart (ca. 0.3 km²)	3000	Oldest part of the city; medieval area; low traffic in central parts of the Old Town during part of the day, AM deliveries allowed and taxis allowed 24 h; there is no supervision and no control so in reality the medieval city is not essentially carfree. photos
Malmö	Large pedestrian precinct		City center; further expansion planned
Växjö, Sweden	Entire city center		carfree district in fossil-fuel reduced city (external link)
Jakriborg	Entire village	800 - 2000	Newbuilt suburb/village in old style, connected to Malmö and Lund via rail.
Southern Göteborg Archipelago	Archipelago including Vrångö, Brännö, Styrsö, and Vargö	5,000 permanent, another 6,000 summer	West of Gothenburg

[edit] Switzerland

City	Area	Population	Character
Zermatt	Entire town	5687	carfree Alpine resort with prototype "Utility Area" at the entrance; slow electric taxis and freight vehicles used, although these are sometimes driven at higher speeds
Bettmeralp	Entire town		Alpine resort
Braunwald	Entire town		Alpine resort
Riederalp	Entire town		Alpine resort
Rigi	Entire town		Alpine resort
Saas-Fee	Entire town		Alpine resort
Stoos	Entire town		Alpine resort
Wengen	Entire town		Alpine resort
Zürich	Large parts of the old town		carfree medieval urban core
Lausanne	Large parts of the old town		The lower mediaeval part of the old town is carfree. Cars are allowed but uncommon in the upper ancient part. Taxis are allowed.
Geneva	10 streets	10,000	carfree areas in the heart
Basel	Parts of the medieval town are carfree		The city is heavily dependent on an excellent tram system and most of the center city is highly car moderated if not carfree
St. Gallen	Old center		carfree
Neuchâtel	Old center		carfree
Appenzell	Old center		carfree
Gstaad	Village center		carfree
Gruyere	Village center		Reportedly significant carfree area
Rapperswil	Medieval center		carfree center
Brig	Perhaps 10 blocks in downtown		Old part of the city, mixed use
Winterthur	Historic center
Lugano	Most of the old quarter
Mürren	Entire town		Alpine resort; some utility traffic
Bern - Halen	79 apartments		Terraced neighborhood; built 1961; parking at edge
ID=592 Boll-Sinneringen - Wohnanlage Schloßpark	73 apartments		Built 1996; parking at edge

[edit] UK and Channel Islands

City	Area	Population	Character
Island of Sark (Channel Islands)	Whole island	560	Entirely carfree (only motorized vehicles are tractors)
Island of Herm (Channel Islands)	Whole island	60	Cars and bicycles are both banned
Cambridge	City centre and university campus	Several thousand	University town with heavy tourism; cars banned most of the day from centre
Oxford	Areas in city centre		Medieval university town. Cornmarket Street, Radliffe Square surrounding the Radcliffe Camera and University Church, and Brasenose Lane are pedestrian only; Queen Street is bus only; many surrounding streets have restricted vehicular access
Salisbury	City centre and cathedral close	115,800	Large section of town centre is carfree, including the Cathedral Close
Edinburgh	Slateford Green carfree development
York	Several vibrant alley ways in the centre, including The Shambles	183,100	Streets too narrow for cars
Leeds, Yorkshire	Large part of the city centre	715,200	Pedestrian precinct
Lincoln	Several cobbled streets around the Cathedral	86,000	carfree area near the centre
Isles of Scilly	Group of islands off Land's End	Combined population of 2000	Island of Tresco is carfree

[edit] Other Europe

City	Area	Population	Character
Prague, Czech Republic	Large carfree area starting at Old Town Square and extending across the river		Medieval quarter
Tábor, Czech Republic	"Modest network of carfree streets"		Old town
Kraków, Poland	Large carfree area around the Old Town Square encircled by a park known as Planty	5,345 (Old Town in 1998), 780,000 (whole city - 2004)	Old town
Dubrovnik, Croatia	The old walled city		Nearly carfree
Rovinj, Croatia	The old town is reported to be largely or entirely carfree		Undoubtedly medieval
Arbat Street, Moscow	Small district		Old area just outside the historic center.
Vilnius, Lithuania	Large carfree area reported		One of the largest surviving medieval quarters in Europe
Kaunas, Lithuania	Laisves Aleja		A double tree lined five block pedestrian shopping street car free other than intersections
Riga, Latvia	Old town		The walled old town is nearly carfree, requiring enough permits and entrance fees for motor vehicles that cars are seldom seen
Tallinn, Estonia	"Modest network of carfree streets"		Old town
Buyukada Island, Istanbul, Turkey	One of the nine Marmara Sea islands, resort area	1500 ( )	Almost entirely carfree
Kotor, Montenegro	The old town is carfree.	23,481	The old Mediterranean port of Kotor, surrounded by an impressive city wall, is very well preserved and protected by UNESCO.
Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria	Downtown		This small university town of 60,000 contains a quite substantial pedestrian area, with one long walking street and several smaller ones, in addition to two large and one extremely large carfree squares.
Pazardzhik, Bulgaria	Downtown		A medium sized Bulgarian city (roughly 80,000 inhabitants) contains a proportionately large pedestrian network, where in one instance five different pedestrian streets intersect.

[edit] North America

[edit] Canada

City	Area	Population	Character
Whistler, British Columbia		9,000~25,000	Auto-Free European Village.
Calgary, Alberta	7 & 8th Avenue Malls	Non-Residential	7th Ave. is a transit mall; 8th Ave. is a pedestrian mall for several blocks that offers some retailers selling coffee, food, drinks and tourist merchandise.
Montreal, Quebec	30 kilometers of underground passages	Non-residential	The motto of congested French-speaking Montreal is Aucune piste cyclable?![citation needed] In the summer downtown streets are usually closed to traffic.[citation needed] Auto-free network of underground passages and shopping centres link some 60 modern commercial and apartment skyscrapers in downtown.
"P.A.T.H." Toronto, Ontario	Kilometers of underground passages	Non-residential	Auto-free network of underground passages and shopping centres.
Toronto Islands	Several carfree islands just off downtown	700	Urban park and ecological community. Accessible by ferry or private boat from downtown Toronto. Bicycles are permitted on ferries.
Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario	Wide array of pedestrian-only walkways		Historic industrial district; red brick, art galleries, shops, cafes, residences, various festivals, breweries, distilleries, winemaking, pubs, fresh beer, bicycle parking, adjacent to Don Valley bicycle trail network through the city.
Outer Harbour East Headland (Leslie Street Spit), Toronto	5 km-long man-made peninsula	0	Wilderness area downtown. Access by bicycle, pedestrian or boat.
Sparks Street, Ottawa, Ontario	6 blocks	Non-residential	Shopping street 1 block south of Canadian Parliament Building.
Mont-Tremblant, Quebec			Ski resort built as an Auto-Free European-style village.
Quebec City, Quebec	A few streets in the oldest part of the town	300,000 (entire city)	Historic part of town has 3 or 4 carfree streets
Dodge Cove, Digby Island, British Columbia	An island village near Prince Rupert	100	Artisan and Commuter Community
George Street, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador			An historic street dotted with pubs

[edit] Mexico

City	Area	Population	Character
Guadalajara, Jalisco	Zona Peatonal, Downtown	3,000,000	15 streets dedicated to pedestrians. Surrounded by civic, touristic and commercial areas

[edit] Costa Rica

City	Area	Population	Character
Parismina, Limon	Entire Village	600	Small coastal village has no paved roads and one tractor for trash collection.

[edit] Puerto Rico

City	Area	Population	Character
Río Piedras	Zona Peatonal Paseo de Diego	1,000,000 / Part of city	Working class colonial neighbourhood, about 1 km dedicated to pedestrians, commercial areas, served by new automated Tren Urbano nearby University of Puerto Rico and Botanical Gardens.

[edit] USA

Madison, San Francisco, and Las Vegas were all reported to have single carfree streets, which is not sufficient to merit inclusion under the current standard.

City	Area	Population	Character
Burlington, Vermont	Church Street Marketplace	38,889 Burlington proper (2000 Census)	Pedestrianized main downtown shopping street, 4 carfree blocks. Bicycles must be walked.
Mackinac Island, Lake Huron, Michigan	Entire island	600 permanent residents	Resort island; horse-and-buggy transport
Fire Island, New York			Most of the island is accessible only by passenger ferries, or by foot or bicycle from the parking lot at the western end (which is reachable by a cars-only bridge); wagons used for transport. Residents can get car access permits for non-summer months.
Roosevelt Island, East River, New York City	Most or all of island	9,500	Some car access does exist, with large parking garages; very few local services
Ithaca, New York	Ithaca Commons (pedestrian mall)	30,000 (entire city of Ithaca)	Downtown carfree area of 1 street, 2 blocks long
Main Street Mall (Buffalo), Buffalo, New York	Downtown light-rail "main street" mall		Theater district, retail, restaurants, pedestrian/LRV mall
Russell Island in the St. Clair River, Michigan			Carfree resort community accessible only by boat; only golf carts are allowed on the island
Minneapolis, Minnesota skyway	5 miles (8 km) of enclosed overhead passageways	1,500 residences, 4,000 hotel rooms, 200 million square feet (19 km²) of office space, and 2.5 million square feet (230,000 m²) of retail space	Commercial/retail heart of the city
Minneapolis, Minnesota Nicollet Mall	Central E/W downtown street; access to motor-vehicles limited to Metro Transit busses		Wide streetlevel sidewalks give access to popular retail and dining establishments as well as many of downtown Minneapolis's office towers
Catalina Island, California	Most of island		Carfree except for gasoline-powered golf carts in the town of Avalon
'K' Street Mall, Sacramento, California	12 blocks (1 mile) of 'K' Street, including an outdoor shopping mall and pedestrian freeway underpass to the old city historic district.		Carfree shopping, entertainment, business and mixed-use residential district
Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California	1/2 mile (800 m) of 3rd Street		Carfree shopping district, with further expansion planned
Venice Canals, Venice, California	a square roughly 300 meters on a side	30,000 (pop. of Venice)	A small portion of a large canal system created by Abbot Kinney to be the 'Venice of America' still exists. A majority of the canals were filled in 1929 to make way for the automobile.
Columbia, California			Small carfree district at the center
Davis, California	University of California Campus		Extensive bicycle path network linking all points into a regional bicycle transportation system. Large areas of the city "bicycle only".
Riverside, California	Pedestrian mall		The Main Street Pedestrian Mall is absolutely carfree, and extends through several blocks of the center of the city. Notables include historic Mission Inn and the Riverside Photography Museum.
RiverPlace, Portland, Oregon	Pedestrian promenade about 1/2 mile (800 m) long (the only large carfree area); pedestrian alleys connect other buildings to the promenade; the site is 73 acres (300,000 m²)	1,200	Mixed-use development along the riverfront including apartments, retail, restaurants, a small market, and a waterfront pedestrian promenade
Portland Center, Portland, Oregon	Two pedestrian streets run parallel through the development, which includes two parks (carfree streets total about 1 mile (1.6 km) length)	1200	Mixed-use development with apartments, retail, and offices
Boston, Massachusetts	Downtown Crossing, several carfree streets		Heart of the commercial district in old downtown Boston
Cambridge, Massachusetts	Memorial Drive along the Charles River on Sundays, April through November		Route runs through Harvard University
Tangier Island, Virginia	Entire island	800	Carfree fishing & tourism community
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia	5 blocks plus side streets (from 09:00 to 17:00)	100 families of workers	Restored Colonial-era village
Bald Head Island, North Carolina	Whole island	150 families	Exclusive, golf-cart-based community
Harbour Town, Hilton Head, South Carolina	Artificial harbor with promenade and shops	Few hundred	Carfree resort community from the 1960s and 70s
Shelter Cove Harbor, Hilton Head, South Carolina	Artificial harbor with promenade and shops, larger than Harbour Town	Several hundred	Carfree resort community 1980s
East Lake Commons, Metro Atlanta, Georgia	67 dwellings planned	Probably 200	Parking will be located on the perimeter of the village. Access within the village core will be by walking, carts, and bicycles
Main Street Mall, Memphis, Tennessee	3/4 of a mile (1200 m)	5000	Carfree mixed-use district in the heart of the city
Lincoln Road Mall, Miami, Florida	7 blocks or 0.5 mile (800 m)		Shopping, socializing, cafes, dining al fresco in the heart of the Art Deco district
San Antonio, Texas	River Walk		Carfree tourist area; lacks basic services
New Orleans, Louisiana	Several blocks between the French Quarter and the river		Carfree mixed use area served by Vintage Streetcar Line.
Arcosanti, in Arizona	New town built by Paolo Soleri	100	Carfree arcology
Boulder, Colorado	Pedestrian mall		At the city center; there is some debate as to whether this really is a carfree area or not. The Pearl Street Mall is absolutely carfree, and extends through several blocks of the center of the city.
Fort Collins, Colorado	7 acres (28,000 m²), 4 streets	City population 115,000	Old Town, commercial district, no traffic except for maintenance crews; area includes 60 apartments for the elderly
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado	4 long streets	25,000 students	Carfree area of university campus, to be expanded
Denver, Colorado	16th Street Mall, about a mile (1.6 km) long		Transit mall with pedestrian-only extensions
Charlottesville, Virginia	Pedestrian mall		120 shops, 30 restaurants, outdoor concert space in historic brick paved downtown area, free Trolley to University of Virginia campus
Haig Point, Daufuskie Island, South Carolina	Private residential golf development on an island adjacent to Hilton Head Island, SC. Golf carts allowed.	Several hundred	Carfree resort development of the 1980s, only accessible by ferry. Other areas of the island have limited cars.
Iowa City, Iowa	Pedestrian mall		Several blocks of the Iowa City-Ped Mall, located near the University of Iowa campus in the Old Capital district, are completely carfree.
Chicago Lakefront, Illinois	Lakefront path (bike and pedestrian path)	2,842,518 (entire city of Chicago)	15+ mi. lakefront multi-use path with 6-7 street crossings.
Madison, Wisconsin	State St	200,000 (approx)	6 block carfree retail street connecting the university and the capitol. Traditional street & sidewalk layout; the street is used by buses and bicycles; pedestrians on the sidewalks.

[edit] South America

[edit] Argentina

City	Area	Population	Character
Buenos Aires	Downtown pedestrian circuit [Microcentro]	2.9 million (Capital)	The pedestrian circuit in the city centre is composed by Florida Street, about 12 blocks, 5 blocks of Lavalle Street, one block of Diagonal Norte, two blocks Tres Sargentos Street and one block of the Pasaje Carlos Discepolo, very vibrant area with many restaurants, theatres, shopping, etc, photos a short walk from the obelisk, people throng here, streets are entirely carfree, but crossing streets are not. Access by bus and the Metro (subte) Line C. Buenos Aires, for the most part, is a very walkable city.
Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires	City centre waterfront	Part of city	Very successful waterfront redevelopment area. Highly pedestrianized and carfree mixed use district witch includes corporate headquarters, luxury condos, residential and business lofts, five star hotels, exclusive restaurants, parks and an ecological reserve. Puerto Madero website. A 2 kilometre light rail tramway line will be inaugurated in March 2007.
La Boca, Buenos Aires	Several blocks of main street	Part of city	Barrio La Boca is a colourful working class neighbourhood where descendants of Italian immigrants once settled, El Caminito, its main street, is pedestrianized and touristy. photos An extension of Puerto Madero's light rail tram system to Retiro Station and Barrio La Boca is contemplated.
Greater Buenos Aires	Tren de la Costa, Carfree artery	12.4 million	A very unique suburban modern leisure tramway artery that stretches for 15 kilometres by the River Plate from Olivos to the village of Tigre, each of its eleven "turn of the century" picturesque stations have a charm of its own with its plazas, cafes, antique shops, movie theatres, boutiques, restaurants and regional product markets. You can get on and off during the day as many times as you wish. Good sample of Transit-oriented development. Tren de la Costa website.
Tigre, Buenos Aires	Delta	Several thousand	The village of Tigre is the starting point of the magnificent Delta where commuter mahogany launches reminiscent of the roaring twenties travel its web of connecting rivers and streams dotted with week-end homes, English style rowing clubs, countless marinas, large mansions from the Belle Époque and a variety of recreational complexes which offer food, lodging and entertainment. Total absence of cars.
Mendoza	Several blocks, centre of town	111,000	Wide tree-lined streets, many parks and plazas, ceramic-tiled sidewalks, pedestrianised "Peatonal Sarmiento" photos adjacent to Plaza de Independencia features many outdoor cafe's, restaurants, wine bars and shops. City is served by antiquated trolleybus lines. Mendoza is the capital of the wine producing Mendoza Province
Rosario	Central business district	300,000	Almost 2 kilometre of retail area, system of parks that line the riverfront area.
Córdoba	various pedestrian circuits	1.2 million	The city’s downtown includes 2 kilometres of pedestrianized areas with theatres, shops, outdoor cafes, restaurants, parks and plazas, and an active nightlife. Trolleybus and bus provide access.
La Cumbrecita, Córdoba	First pedestrian village in Argentina	Several hundred	A beautiful small picturesque secluded alpine-like village in the Province of Córdoba settled by central Europeans. Focused on eco-tourism, no paved roads, transport on foot. Excursions to La Cumbrecita can be taken from nearby Villa General Belgrano, not carfree but pedestrian friendly.

[edit] Brazil

City	Area	Population	Character
Curitiba, Brazil	Carfree area in downtown, 24 lineal blocks	2.7 million (2000 census)	Twenty blocks in the heart of the city paved with decorative tile in which vehicular traffic is restricted to delivery trucks at set hours, part of this area was pedestrianized in the 70's. It includes much of the historic district. photos Its served by a unique bus system running on dedicated streets and providing excellent, low-cost service. [1]
Ilha do Mel, Paraná, Brazil	Small Island offshore of Paranaguá	The Island has two small fishing villages	The entire Island is carfree, and even cattle free. All goods and materials are carted around by big wheel barrows. Economy is traditionally fishing but Ecotourism is now a big part of economy. 95% of Island is now an ecological reserve. Villages are connected by 2 meter wide sandy walking paths
Paquetá Island, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Entire island	About 7000	Carfree island in Guanabara Bay, an hour by water from downtown Rio

[edit] Chile

City	Area	Population	Character
Santiago, Chile	Three interconnected streets in downtown square	5.4 million	Ahumada, Huerfanos & Estado Streets around Plaza de Armas, the city's main square and historical centre. Shopping, office and cultural activities. Santiagos ultra modern line 5 metro station is located under the plaza.

[edit] Colombia

City	Area	Population	Character
Bogotá, Colombia	The Ciclovía, 110 kilometers of roads throughout the city	6.5 million	The Ciclovía roads are closed to traffic Sundays and holidays for 7 hours, from 0700 to 1400, when more than 1.5 million people practice various sports, visit the recreational facilities, or go to cycle-mass. The city also plans to become largely carfree during rush hour by the year 2015. Articles: Bogotá's green revolution [2] The Politics of Happiness [3]

[edit] Africa

City	Area	Population	Character
Lamu, Kenya	Entire Island	Several thousand but exact population unknown.	Lamu town is an old, Swahilli settlement where only foot, cycle and donkey traffic is allowed.
Fes el Bali, Morocco	Entire medina of Fes	156,000 (2002), making it the most populated carfree district in the world	Fes-al-Bali, the larger of the two medinas of Fes, is a nearly intact medieval city. The entire medina was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, with 13,380 historic buildings since enumerated in the course of a thorough GIS survey of the medina. There are reputed to be 10,539 retail businesses in the medina, which remains a prime commercial center of the city of Fes (population about 1,000,000). Fes-el-Bali's medieval streets are entirely inaccessible by automobile. Only foot, cycle, donkey and cart traffic is even possible. A few access streets for emergency vehicles are being built.

[edit] Middle East

City	Area	Population	Character
Jerusalem, Israel	Old City	35,000	Most of the old walled city is a maze of interesting alleys and narrow streets accessible only to foot traffic.
Jerusalem, Israel	Ben Yehuda Street	N/A	Part of this central thoroughfare was pedestrianized in the 1980s and has since become a major commercial center.
Tel Aviv, Israel	Nachalat Binyamin	N/A	This is a pedestrianized street lined by shops and cafes, which hosts a weekly arts fair.
Beirut, Lebanon	Downtown Beirut	N/A	The area is filled with shops, restaurants and cafes.

[edit] Asia

City	Area	Population	Character
Discovery Bay, Hong Kong (People's Republic of China)	Modern residential development set on the northeastern coast of Lantau Island	14,300	Private cars are prohibited on the road network in Discovery Bay; however buses and delivery vehicles as well as vehicles owned by the developer are allowed. Residents travel internally via the bus network or a controlled number of private golf carts; and commute externally via the ferry or external bus service which connects with the mass transit systems in Hong Kong.
Lamma Island, Hong Kong (People's Republic of China)	Third largest island in Hong Kong	6,000	No full size automobiles allowed, except for the area within the Hongkong Electricity power station. A few miniature emergency vehicles exist as do small utilitarian vehicles. Residents walk, via an extensive and well-maintained network of trails. Ferries take residents to and from the two largest settlements to the rest of Hong Kong.
Dayan Old Town, Lijiang City, Yunnan, (People's Republic of China)	Tourist area of Lijiang City	?	Cars are prohibited in this section of Lijiang; however, given the cobblestone paths, bridges and network of waterways, driving would be impossible anyway. Though tourism is the dominant economic activity, the residents here rely on foot, basket, and trike to keep the area functioning. Called the "Venice of the East" by some.

[edit] Australia

City	Area	Population	Character
Rottnest Island, Western Australia	Tourist island	A few thousand Quokkas	No cars allowed on island, all transport is on foot or bicycles.
Civic Square, Canberra ACT	Central shopping area including Civic Bus Interchange, Garema Place, all the way down to Glebe_Park, Canberra		No private cars. An area frequented by tourists, students and shoppers. Plenty of bike parking exists.